Iris
by lucocat
Summary: AU - Ari's back, but what does he want? What will Gibbs, Kate & co give up to get rid of him permanently? Will hopefully be Kibbs!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _Iris_is written for personal motivatation. No infringement on characters or situations is intended.

**Note 1:**When I was deciding whether or not to submit another story whilst having another one only vaguely started, Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls was playing in the background. The words seemed fit how I pictured this fanfic progressing.

**Note 2:** _Iris_does not follow the plot development of NCIS, it's an AU story that might borrow characters and situations from the TV show. It is an exercise in creative writing and should be read as such

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_**Current situation - - - **_

To Gibbs, it seemed that having aimlessly driven around the Washington DC area for the better part of the early evening, in fact had not been a pointless pursuit, instead it had brought him to a bar he knew Kate would be in. Whilst driving he realised the months he had observed Kate withdrawing into herself made sense – she was protecting herself; she didn't know how to deal with the situation she had been drawn into. Yet Gibbs was still angry at her, she had kept vital information from him and the rest of the team; information that could have made them better prepared, united, a force to be reckoned with. The new team motto could have been "Bring it on Ari – we're still going to kill you", but no she didn't tell the team Ari had been contacting her, she went to the FBI. Bloody Tobias Fornell knew before him, the smug bastard literally trilled to him that the current intelligence they had about Ari's whereabouts had come from an NCIS agent – HIS agent.

Gibbs parked and locked-up his car in the space beside Kate's car, he looked through her driver's side window; she had left her car unlocked and a large brown unopened envelope, addressed to her sat on the front passenger's seat. _"Damn it Kate"_, seemingly Ari's return had unsettled her more than he had realised as basic self-protective strategies had been ignored; he walked to the bonnet and felt that it was stone cold, figuring she had been inside long enough to ensure that she would be in no fit state to drive home, he locked the car before walking to the entrance doors leading to the main bar-room.

Gibbs walked into the bar and looked around, he didn't see Kate sitting in the corner booth on his first survey of the room, but she had seen him and tried moving out of his line of sight, only to be caught in his peripheral vision. Having been caught, Kate quickly signalled to the waitress that she wanted a repeat drinks order and swallowed the rest of the liquid in her glass in one swift motion; the need to shore up her defences becoming much more imperative.

Gibbs stood still, critically appraising the state he had found his agent and literally couldn't breathe; in three years of knowing and working closely knowing her, he had never seen her so broken, not when cases become emotionally and physically challenging, or after he had stupidly ended a relationship between them before it even had the chance to begin. When Gibbs left that morning before Kate woke, he convinced himself he taking the right course of action for both of them – he was an honourable man, and this is what honourable men did. Except, a few hours later Gibbs realised what a rash and selfish thing he had done and it scared him to think of how much he would willingly give up to change what had happened. Gibbs had contemplated calling Kate to beg her forgiveness and ask for another chance, before he remembered he had granted her two weeks annual leave and her flight was due to depart soon. He had hoped Kate would reconsider going on holiday with her friends and come to him; instead she had left and acted like nothing had happened when she had returned. Gibbs had analysed, dissected and reflected on her behaviour after her return from holiday and realised she was behaving how she though he would want – pretend nothing had happened and therefore team dynamics would not be affected. Had he not been so caught up in the return of Jenny Shepherd as Director of NCIS he would have challenged Kate, put simply he would have fought tooth and nail to get her back. Instead, an uneasy calm had settled in their relationship and the inoperable damage had resulted in Kate hiding the truth to those people she was closest to.

Kate, having realised Gibbs had no intention of talking to her for a few moments thought back over the past couple of months. She and Gibbs had almost started something, they had acted on what she had at the time believed to be mutual desires, only to have woken up to the sight of him walking out of her bedroom. She had accepted at that moment she had only been a one-night stand to him and didn't call out to him, she waited for her front door to close before getting up, starting her morning routine and last minute preparations for a holiday during which this whole mess started. Kate had considered going to his house to talk to him on her way to the airport, but decided it would be a pointless pursuit; she knew Gibbs was a bastard but hadn't realised just how much of one he could be. Suddenly a baseball bat didn't seem like it would inflict sufficient physical damage to reflect the emotional anguish she was in. During her holiday, before the ill-fated initial contact from Ari, Kate decided that for her sake and Gibbs', she would act professionally on her return; she knew that a man like Gibbs would not appreciate any complications to the carefully constructed world he had created, plus she really did like working with the team. At that time, Kate didn't know if she would have been strong enough to deal with his rejection and the loss of people she really did consider family; unfortunately, due to her actions she had probably jeopardised the relationships she had built and nurtured with her friends.

Kate was drawn out of her self-reverie by the twin arrival of the waitress with her drink and Gibbs, he ordered two strong black coffees; when they arrived, he replaced Kate's alcohol with one of the coffees, and put the untouched glass on the waitress' tray; disregarding her quizzical look, he dismissed her from their presence with a glare and grunt to keep the change from the money he shoved in her hand. After wrapping his hands round the coffee cup and taking a gulp, Gibbs looked to Kate: _"Explain"_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _Iris_ is written for personal motivation. No infringement on characters or situations is intended.

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Kate having heard and processed the only two words Gibbs had directed specifically at her, smirked at him _"think you were a bit premature in returning that glass; you want answers, I want a drink - preferably a double"._

Gibbs was already irritable due to Kate seemingly not trusting him enough to tell him Ari was back herself, and having found her in the bar drunk, and therefore didn't find the funny side of Kate's sarcastic retort. It exemplified to him just how much Kate had changed over the past couple of months, and it wasn't for the best; Kate had become isolated from the team, from him and he hadn't understood why. Never in all the times he worked on his boat until the early hours of the morning, mulling over incidents that had happened or he witnessed whilst at work, did anything make sense, until now - - - Ari. Ari was back and destroying his team from the inside out, if it wasn't bad enough that Kate had inferred there may have been an attraction between herself and Ari that first fateful day he came into contact with the team, Ari had taken Kate rather than an active member of the President's Secret Service Protection Detail who would have led more credence to his undercover operation. Gibbs still didn't know the full details of what had happened that afternoon, sure he had read the heavily edited reports forwarded to him by Fornell, accounts of what had happened by all agents involved that day, but he still didn't know what had specifically happened between Kate and Ari. She was under orders not to discuss the incident with anyone, except a select few agents with high enough security clearance; but Gibbs knew that if Kate wanted to talk about it, he'd be the person she'd come to knowing he'd understand what she'd gone through and help her make sense of it, orders or not. Yet something else happened, life and circumstances got in the way; maybe if they hadn't slept together so soon after she was taken and the stressful case they'd been allocated immediately after the kidnapping and dealt with the tension evident between them in a more practicable manner, then maybe he wouldn't be waking up in an empty bed after having relived every moment of their encounter whilst he was sleeping.

"_Gibbs, you wanted me to explain then perhaps you should pay attention. You want a drink? I'm getting one, it might be an idea if you did because I really don't think you will want to be sober enough to remember this conversation in the morning, I sure as hell don't. Where'd the waitress go?"_

"_Kate drink the coffee then we're leaving, I don't think a bar in mid town Washington is the best place for this conversation"_

"_Yeah Gibbs, I suppose the owners won't really appreciate you shooting up the place when I've finished. Where do you want to have this little tete-a-tete? Headquarters, an interrogation room? Do I have the right to remain silent? Should I ring a lawyer? Wait, if I stay silent then that defeats the purpose of us having the discussion, it'd be very one sided conversation; though you could use those interrogation techniques you love so such, do you know that Tony has been busily trying to perfect them with every person we interview? Seriously, he thinks that glaring and grumping at witnesses like you do is enough to get the information he wants or knows he should have, maybe it'd work better if he only interviewed red heads to start with."_

Having picked up the underlying revulsion with which Kate had mentioned "red heads", Gibbs tried to try to refocus Kate's attention on drinking the coffee and decided that should this conversation turn personal, he couldn't just walk away without confronting the issues before him like he had left the night he and Kate had spent together. Kate was in no fit state to be left alone, who knows what would happen if he stormed out; he needed to take her to an environment in which he could have absolute control over.

"_Kate, drink the coffee – you're rambling; we are going to have this talk, you'll just have to sober up first because I want you to be perfectly clear about all the details – the times, dates, places you had contact with Ari; what was said, what you agreed to – EVERYTHING"_

At this insistence, Kate drank the coffee and stood up when Gibbs signalled it was time to leave the bar. Gibbs had decided to have this conversation at his house, that way he was the master of circumstances; and knowing how drunk Kate was, he would have to drive therefore effectively stranding her at his house, he prayed she didn't have the phone numbers for any taxi companies memorised. When they reached his car, Gibbs opened the passenger door for Kate, when she was settled he closed it and walked to the driver's side and got in the car; when he started the engine, he looked to Kate who was busily fidgeting with her coat and avoiding his gaze.

"_Kate, why didn't you lock your car? This isn't exactly the safest area of town, plus you left your post in view – even I know about identity fraud"_

"_Gibbs, I did lock my car, I checked it twice and what post? I haven't been home yet to pick up my post, I came here straight from the office"_ Kate dug through her bag, located her keys and stepped out of the car; she unlocked her passenger door and scooped up the envelope. With a puzzled expression, Kate tore open the envelope and looked inside; Gibbs saw her expression instantly change to one of fear and scrambled out of the car to her side _"What is it Kate? ... Kate? What's in the envelope?"_ He tried snatching it from her hand, but she had an iron grip on it.

"_You want to have this conversation, fine. I've just sobered up and I have props. Let's go"_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _Iris_ is written for personal motivation. No infringement on characters or situations is intended.

**Note:**I am aware that Director Sheppard did not start this early in the programme, but this is an AU fic!

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Gibbs and Kate drove in relatively silence to his house after having had a minor dispute about where they should go to discuss the situation at hand. Kate had believed that due to the professional nature of the briefing they should go to their office to use an interview room and had been more than visibly surprised when Gibbs drove in the opposite direction towards his house. Gibbs merely uttered _"bourbon"_ and _"basement"_in response to Kate's protests; throughout the remainder of the drive Gibbs kept looking to Kate who was concentrating on looking nonchalant, despite her insides doing back flips; she knew Gibbs was going to be pissed at her, he'll probably have her transferred to an NCIS office in the Antarctic, but she hoped that she'd be allowed to stay with the team long enough to see Ari get what he deserved.

Gibbs pulled up into his driveway and turned off the engine, he looked to Kate who didn't seem to realise they had arrived; he tentatively reached out to touch her shoulder and when she jumped in response to his touch, he withdrew his hand and exited the car. He waited until Kate had done the same, before locking it and turning to walk to his front door, a million and one questions running through his head about Ari, the details that Kate knew and had shared with the FBI and what contact she had had with him, but the main question being _"Have I really hurt Kate that badly that she's repulsed by my touch?"_

Kate followed Gibbs at a much slower pace, mulling over the circumstances that had led to this moment; her actions and equally her in-actions, her lies and betrayal, and her collusion with Ari that has led her to question who is really is and who she really wants to be in the dead of night when she hasn't been able to sleep and has been sitting at the dining table consuming her fourth cup of strong black coffee. For months Kate wanted someone – anyone – Gibbs, to ask her what's wrong, why she looks and feels so terrible, why she hasn't had a proper night's sleep in months and has dark circles under her eyes, and why she's scared of her own shadow; but no, her strength of character and the need to keep her secret wouldn't allow her to admit this. When Tony did ask why she looked terrible, she replied maybe it was his aftershave making her gag; when Abby asked about the dark circles under her eyes, she replied that her neighbours had been keeping her up at night; and when Ducky commented that she appeared _"rather jumpy"_, Kate mumbled that it must be the caffeine she has consumed whilst the team worked for their fifth consecutive night. Gibbs said nothing, asked nothing, commented nothing; he was there, knew the concerns the other team members had but did nothing; he was ever watchful, trying to catch her out at any given moment, but Kate knew this and had become as crafty, she was playing him at his own game; maybe that's why she never slept, Gibbs through his apparent silent indifference made her question who she was.

Instead of being led to the basement as she had expected, Kate found herself in Gibbs' living room and directed to the sofa; Gibbs took her coat and went to the kitchen to make coffee, he recalled Kate had stopped taking milk and sweetener on her coffee, so didn't bother to search his fridge for milk that was still in date. When he returned to the living room and gave Kate her coffee, she looked at it and then looked to him _"you noticed"_; _"I notice more than you think Kate"_.

Gibbs allowed Kate to settle within his living room, they sat together in silence preparing themselves for the emotional storm that was brewing; Kate asked to use the bathroom remarking that she won't try to escape out the window, she just wanted to wash her face. Gibbs gave her the directions, and noted that Kate took the envelope that had been left in her car with her rather as well as her handbag; Kate saw the brief look of hurt on his face as she left the room with the envelope and knew that he thought she didn't trust him not to look inside, but she pretended not to notice, she couldn't take the chance that he would open it before she had had a chance to explain what had happened.

When Kate returned she saw that Gibbs had made them both fresh mugs of coffee and rustled up a few sandwiches all of which were sitting on the coffee table; she lifted a sandwich and began picking at it for a few moment, with her eyes focused on the bread, _"He approached me, I was on holiday and he turned up at a cafe where I was waiting for my friends. He told me not to try and cause a scene as his people were close by and he would escape unscathed but wouldn't be certain that the people sitting at the tables would be left unhurt; he had been watching me since the incident at autopsy and had been waiting for the right moment to contact me, when he thought I'd be ready to hear what he had to say. The day he took me to the farm, that was for purely business purposes – to be seen to be following his mission; but he said he knew that at that time I wasn't ready to hear him. I didn't know why he thought that day would be any different from the rest until later that evening; he didn't stay long at the cafe, he knew my friends were due at any moment; he left but not before leaving a note that had a time and address on it, if I wanted to know the truth I had to be there, alone."_

Kate lifted her eyes to look at Gibbs; he had been sitting rigid staring directly at her, she could see his jaw had locked and his fists were balled, she pre-empted the question she knew he would ask _"I don't know why I went, even now I still don't understand; Fornell and the..."_

"_You phoned the FBI then? Why the bloody hell did you do that? You're allegiances should be to your own agency, your team, to me. Why didn't you phone me? Why did you do this to us – don't you see the damage Ari has been able to cause, he's come between us; the agency could have protected you, I could have protected you if you'd let me."_

"_I did try to phone you Gibbs, I tried to phone all of you but nobody was there, nobody answered; I got the Director, she told me that you were on a carrier and there was a communications blackout in place and she didn't know when it would be lifted, I told her what had happened and she contacted Fornell; they told me to meet with Ari."_

"_The Director knew? The blackout only lasted 3 hours, I could have been contacted, why wasn't I_ _informed?"_Gibbs couldn't believe that his former partner would have held back such vital information, he had noticed how much more driven she had become about her work but had she really changed that much or was there more to it? He could have been contacted very easily, she had spoken to him for an update about their case as soon as the blackout was lifted and never indicated that there was a problem to be dealt with, a terrorist to be hunted. She deliberately put Kate's life in danger, and that was unforgiveable; he remembered the dream he had had the morning before Kate had disappeared, when he walked into the morgue and unzipped the body bag. No! He wouldn't allow that to happen, he was responsible for Kate; their hearts had beaten as one in the dead of the night when they shared her bed, he felt her heart beat which mirrored his own and whilst it had scared him that night, now it gave him the determination and resolve to fight for them. The only body bag he would be unzipping in the immediate future would be Ari's; Ari would have the bullet through his skull, not Kate.

"_They wanted me to find out what he wanted, what he was up to; the CIA wasn't keeping them informed about Ari as they had been promised. The Director told me that by going to Ari I would be getting him out of our lives forever – I just wanted him gone, he's done enough damage and inflicted enough pain, physically and emotionally; I want my life back Gibbs, I want to be me again."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _Iris_ is written for personal motivation. No infringement on characters or situations is intended.

**Question**: Is anybody else obsessed with checking the stat section when they login to their account? I check it religiously!!

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Gibbs knew that Kate was barely hanging on to her sanity but he wanted to know everything, no matter how much it may pain him personally and emotionally to hear every last detail. He needed to know how badly she had been compromised, what exactly had been her dealings with Ari? She had lied to her team mates; he needed to know what else she had done to keep her little secret.

"_I never slept with him"_, Kate lifted her head and stared directly into his eyes; honesty was the only thing she had left to give. Somehow she knew what Gibbs wanted to know; although he hadn't voiced his question, she knew it wouldn't be long until he did. Gibbs was an honourable man who would never ask a lady such a question unless circumstances or investigations dictated that he did; but Kate knew that when it came to Ari, Gibbs' sense of morality went straight out the window and was quickly replaced by spur of the moment, knee-jerk reactions. Kate personally felt the need to make sure Gibbs understood that she hadn't slept with Ari, at that moment it was the most important detail she wanted him to remember after tonight.

"_But he wanted you to? I know Ari, I know arrogance that seeps from him; he's done everything he can to involve you in his life and his work: kidnapping you, contacting you whilst on holiday, maintaining the contact in secret – he wants you."_ At no stage did Gibbs break eye contact with Kate; trained in reading and analysing body language they both knew they could read the other's facial expressions and non-verbal communications to understand what the other was thinking or if they were telling the truth; but for Gibbs Kate's eyes really were the window to her soul. With everything that had happened Kate had nothing left to hide, she matched the intensity of his stare with that of her own.

"_I never slept with him; other people considered it as a strategically viable option to gain his trust and willingness to cooperate, but I couldn't. He's a terrorist, National Security be damned, I'll not be coerced into having sex for a tid-bit of information that may or may not be true. I'm worth more than that."_ Kate's voice took on a surety and confidence that she had been lacking at the start of the conversation; one which Gibbs realised had been missing for the past few months.

Gibbs knowing that a suggestion of that calibre could only have been made by his ex-partner who had proved time and time again that she had no scruples against using her sexuality to every possible advantage, merely confirmed what he knew to be knew, _"Did Fornell suggest . . . "_

At this suggestion, a feral grin spread across Kate's face. _"No, it came from higher up OUR food chain; a 'girlie chat' about the 'importance of deploying appropriate resources where and when needed in the best interests of the agency in these uncertain times'; the pretext of the meeting being the review of a profile for the McAllister case"_

Gibbs thought back to that afternoon, Director Sheppard had asked him to send Kate up to her office with the case file before he left for Ducky's lab and a coffee trip. On his return, he had noted that the file was splayed unusually haphazardly across Kate's desk; pages spilling out of the sides of the folder. When he returned to the bullpen an hour later, he asked McGee where Kate was, it was Tony who responded, with his arms flapping in the air, in an overly dramatic fashion from behind his computer. _"Psycho agent's in the gym; it's about time we reigned her in! I mean, damn Gibbs, she's usually complaining about the testosterone levels in the office, but I'm beginning to get more concerned about the oestrogen that's flying. Storming off without telling anyone where you are going is very inconsiderate, she's a bad little special agent who should be reprimanded, perhaps finishing my paperwork would be an appropriate punishment."_

"_You just told me she was in the gym Dinozzo" _Gibbs stood dangerously close to Tony despite the presence of his desk between them; a closer inspection of Tony's page would have revealed to Gibbs that his agent had spent the better part of the past hour writing love verses to the girlfriend of the week. But Gibbs was too focussed on tracking down his missing agent.

"_I am a highly trained investigative agent, I take my responsibilities seriously – I followed her" _Tony stated this very matter-of-factly _"despite the objections of other agents in the vicinity who shall remain..."_cough:probie "...nameless"

"_Tony I didn't want to sneak into the female locker room, if Abby or Kate found out we'd be tortured"_ McGee spat back over the top of his monitor, the blush deepening in his face at the same time, no doubt at the thought of what the two male agents could have walked in on. Maybe it was time to up the PG13 rating of his novels, every special agent gets the girl plus he just got inspiration for a scene he hadn't considered before.

"_I put my covert surveillance skills to use and ascertained that the afore mentioned female subject entered the gym at. . . "_ thwack Tony saw the strike heading his way, but was powerless to stop it.

"_Give it up Dinozzo, I ever catch you trying to sneak and peak again, you'll be using those finely honed skills to incinerate Ducky's medical waste. Get back to work; I want answers when I return."_

Gibbs walked down to the gym after having gone out for yet another cup of coffee; he almost convinced himself he was not going to the gym to see Kate in her workout clothes or to catch her coming out of the locker room freshly showered and clean, but to have a serious Senior Special Agent to Special Agent discussion about shirking professional responsibilities and allocation of tasks within the team. Instead of finding her leaving the gym, he found her punching the same spot on the bag with considerable concentration and force, he called out to her telling her she would be sore in the morning if she kept going the way she was, but she didn't respond. Closer inspection of her form detected an MP3 player belted to her waist; Gibbs left her and returned to the office.

Gibbs shook his head, _"I followed you to the gym that day; I thought you were angry, needing to vent after your meeting. You didn't seem to be getting along with Jen, I should have asked, I just thought . . . "_

"_Yeah, 'Jen' had pissed me off but it wasn't her face I was pummelling in my mind – it was his. Just by contacting me, he'd cheapened me to the extent that the Director believed that she could farm me out to any given terrorist in exchange for morsels of information"_

Again Gibbs noted that Kate had referred to Ari as being a terrorist and wondered when the change in attitude about him had happened. In the coffee shop the morning he came to her, she told him Ari had kind eyes not the thoughts usually associated with terrorists. Now she was cold and hostile, the venom was dripping from every remark she made about him.

"_What happened the first night you met him Kate?"_ Gibbs reverted back to investigative mode, trying to push aside the personal turmoil he was in; his gut was churning at an exponential rate, he was sure there was more to the story.

Kate returned the sandwich to the plate she had retrieved it from, reached for her mug of coffee and took a long gulp before setting it back down. _"Ari sent a car to pick me up, seems he wasn't convinced I would show nor did he know I was ordered to attend, and it took me to the house he was staying at. He tried to wine and dine me, dropping snippets of information he knew I would relay back to Washington: the location of a terrorist cell, what they were planning and how they were going to achieve their aims. He wanted to build a confidence between us, a mutual understanding formed out of goodwill and trust. He knew the day he kidnapped me that I wouldn't willingly leave my team mates in danger when he summoned Marta out to talk to us that day; he wanted to know how far I would go to protect those closest to me."_

"_Who did he threaten?"_ Based on Kate's actions to date, Gibbs already had an idea who Ari had threatened but still needed to have it verbally confirmed.

"_Everyone, he had pictures of everyone: friends, family, acquaintances; he knew schedules and routines, he had pictures of the team at crime scenes, of Ducky at the park with his mother, of Abby and McGee at a party, of Tony on a date, of you at the coffee shop, even Palmer at the cinema." _Kate grimaced at having to recall the moment Ari proudly displayed the pictures of those closest to her, telling her he could strike at anyone at anytime; and even with all her training she was powerless to save them all_._

"_What pictures of you did he have in particular Kate? You've mentioned the rest of us, but what specifically did he have on you?"_

"_Nothing much at that time, one's of me at work, shopping, crime scenes, hairdressers, a Christening, a funeral, on holiday – general, everyday pictures. But that night he did infer he had some more personal pictures, I found them in my hotel room later that evening."_

"_What pictures? Where are they? Do you still have them" _Gibbs knew Kate was stalling, whatever the pictures were he had to know; Kate and everyone associated with her had already been violated enough by the surveillance Ari had them under, but there was more to it, Ari was methodical and organised, he would never have approached Kate without having something more substantial to rely on.

"_I destroyed them that night, but I very recently acquired a second copy of them this time with a note attached" _Kate didn't want to admit the nature of the picture she had been left another copy of; she had already destroyed one set but knew others would follow in time.

"_Kate what pictures? What note? What are they of?" _Gibbs was beginning to let his irritation show, Kate was deliberately being cagey, withholding details from him.

"_The envelope that was left in my car; I knew I had locked the door, I checked it twice. Ari left it, he must have followed me to the bar, or had someone else do it; he probably knows I'm here with you"_

"_Kate what are the pictures of, whatever it is we'll deal with it, we'll deal with him for once and for all"_

Instead of verbally responding, Kate shakily held the envelope in the air between them indicating that Gibbs should look for himself but at the same time not wanting him to see what the envelope contained.

Gibbs all but snatched the envelope out of her grasp, tore it open and pulled out the photographs contained within; he dropped the pictures to the coffee table and blinked repeatedly before his brain finally processed the images before him. The pictures were of the night Kate and Gibbs spent together; various snaps of their encounter were spread across his coffee table before them.

The post-it stuck to a picture depicting the moment they came apart in each other's arms simply asked 'What would you do to keep him alive Caitlin?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** _Iris_ is written for personal motivation. No infringement on characters or situations is intended.

**Note:**I apologise for this part of the story being so descriptive and jumpy, but I'm trying to link Ari and Kate's first meeting into the fic – somehow!!

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3 months earlier - - -

Kate and her three friends boarded the airplane bound for London; when they arrived at Heathrow they collected their bags and hailed a taxi to take them to the hotel they would be staying in for the next two weeks. Kate had confided in her friend Sharon about what had happened between herself and Gibbs the night before they had left Washington DC; Kate was thankful she had listened without passing judgement and was prepared to follow Sharon's advice of making Gibbs talk to her about what had happened when they returned home. Kate was fully aware that neither herself or Gibbs had a credible track record when it came to relationships, but Sharon convinced Kate that the future was yet to be written and she and Gibbs were the masters of their own destinies; besides if what they shared was that intense, why would Kate want to willingly give it up?

Kate, better acclimated to foreign travel than her friends due to her work with the Secret Service, woke early the next morning; knowing that it could be some time before her friends woke, she decided to go to the small cafe she had noticed down the street from their hotel for coffee.

Kate ordered her coffee and decided to sit at one of the outside tables to wait on her friends. Fifteen minutes later, Kate felt a hand on her shoulder; expecting it to be one of her friends she smiled and turned to greet the person only to be met with the piercing eyes of Ari, _"Good morning Caitlin"_

Kate automatically reached to her hip for her gun, an unconscious movement that Ari found to be amusing _"Surely Caitlin you would not consider shooting me before I have had breakfast, even prisoners on your death rows are offered a final meal before they are executed."_ Kate then reached into her handbag which had been sitting open on the chair beside her, Ari reached out his hands to take the mobile phone she had lifted out before leaving it on the table between them, _"Who are you phoning Caitlin? The American Embassy? The British Police? Special Agent Gibbs? Whoever it is, they will not be here quick enough, I will be gone by the time the call has connected; now relax and enjoy a meal with an old friend."_

"_I have enough friends without adding a wanted terrorist to the list, what do you want Ari? How did you know I was here, it's too much of a coincidence to assume that you just happened to be in this part of London at the same time? How did you know I was here?"_

"_Caitlin, as I've already taken great pains to explain I am not a terrorist; I am working for my country's protection from its enemies in much the same way that you are. And why is it so hard to believe that I might have simply have been across the street and noticed a beautiful woman sitting alone in need of some company. Or is it only Special Agent Gibbs that is allowed to visit you in your American coffeehouses? I am sorry, I did not bring a cup of coffee with me to give to you or distract your attention from a man that was so obviously enamoured with you"_

"_How do you know about Gibbs bringing me coffee? I didn't tell you that day you kidnapped me."_

"_I didn't kidnap you Caitlin, I merely used the resources of the American government to my advantage; of course I didn't expect Special Agent Gibbs to take it so personally, though I do wonder_ _if I had of taken Agent Dinozzo or Agent McGee would I have been shot? But that thought is to be_ _reflected on another time; I have been watching you for some time Caitlin, I believe that you and I can be of much help to each other and our agencies. I have grown bored of working exclusively for the CIA, the work is tedious and repetitive; there is much more I could be doing to help our respective countries in the hunt for real terrorists that threaten our homelands."_

"_Why me Ari? Why not go to the FBI? The NSA? The goddamn Coastguard? Why come to me? What makes you think I'm going to help you? NCIS does not negotiate with terrorists, especially those terrorists who are number one on their most wanted list"_ Kate had noticed two uniformed policemen walking down the street towards the cafe and decided to cause a scene to get their attention, perhaps she could shout something about Ari stealing her handbag or attempting to proposition her, anything to get them to take notice of him and apprehend him; she could explain the finer details when Ari was in handcuffs. Surely it couldn't be this easy?

Ari had noticed Kate wasn't paying full attention to him, and his vanity was such that he wanted to know what had caught her attention whilst he was sitting before her; he turned his head before Kate could object and noticed the policemen walking in their direction. _"Caitlin, I would take this opportunity to advise you that I have a number of operatives nearby whose job it is to ensure my safety and freedom at all times, no matter what the cost to themselves or those more innocent who may accidently be caught in the crossfire. You were willing to sacrifice your life for your President, are you sure that these people in the cafe and in the street will also be so willing to sacrifice their life for you? How do you make that choice for them, you call me a terrorist yet you will be sealing their fate; their death and possibly yours and my freedom will be the only possible result from what you are planning."_

Kate took no joy in the fact that she was right – it wouldn't be that easy; although Ari had not pointed out any person in particular who may be working with him, she could not consciously take the risk; Ari had caused enough death and misery, that she was determined that no one else would die by his hand of she could prevent it. The two policemen walked past the cafe, Ari and Kate watched them until they had turned the corner, before he turned to face Kate again _"That was a wise decision"_

"_Caitlin, what I wish to discuss would be better done so in a more private location, have you plans for this evening?"_

"_Ari I'm not going to work with you, the next time I see you I want be viewing your corpse, Ducky has offered to weigh your liver and I'm more than willing to help him."_

"_Caitlin, I believe that once you have contacted your precious agency the potential benefits of such an alliance will have been pointed out to you and we will be working together, with or without the consent of Special Agent Gibbs."_

Ari stood up from his seat and reached into his pocket, _"I would be honoured if you would join me for dinner tonight at this address and ask that you do not bring a gun or guns; I am already aware of __how proficient you are in their use" _He placed a small square of paper on the table before Kate with an address and time handwritten on it, "_until later"_, Ari walked out of the cafe and stood for a moment at the edge of the footpath before a car with blacked out windows pulled up; Kate tried to make out the registration plate but saw it was obscured with mud.

Kate grabbed the piece of paper before running back to the hotel, she reached her room and grabbed the telephone; hurriedly punching Gibbs' direct phone number to the keypad, she forgot to include the dialling code. Finally she dialled the correct number, it connected automatically to his voicemail, as did the phones of the rest of the team, even Abby's and Ducky's; Kate then dialled the switchboard and asked to be connected to the Director; although she didn't like the woman, Kate needed to report to someone in the agency and if she couldn't get hold of Gibbs and the team then she needed the next best thing.

Later that evening, Kate made her miserable excuses to her friends, she told them she had met up with an old friend that morning and had made dinner plans; before she got ready for her meeting. Kate had hoped that the Director would arrange for a unit of Recon Marines to be dispatched with orders to hunt and kill Ari, though even she knew that was unlikely and perhaps an over-reaction on her part; what she hadn't expected was to be ordered to attend the meeting with Ari, without backup, to hear what he had to offer. Kate, the Director explained, was in a truly unique position: Ari was offering an olive branch and NCIS would be foolish not to accept; Kate knew she was being played by the new Director who was still trying to carve her niche in the inter-governmental pissing pool, but did recognise that Ari's intelligence could be vital to stopping the work of terrorists. Plus the Director had promised to brief Gibbs about what had happened as soon as the communication blackout was lifted on the carrier he and the rest of the team were on. Despite working solo, Kate had felt much better about meeting with Ari knowing that Gibbs would be no doubt running the operation from the middle of the ocean as soon as he was informed; knowing that Gibbs would undoubtedly be involved make the operation much easier to face.

Kate left her hotel 30 minutes later, intending to walk to the taxi stop across from the cafe to hail a cab; instead the car she recognised as the one Ari had used earlier pulled up beside her and the person sitting in the back motioned her to get in. Against her better judgement and knowing what happened the last time she got into a car sent by Ari, she got in and travelled through London to the house where she was to discover her fate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** _Iris_ is written for personal motivation. No infringement on characters or situations is intended

**Note:** In chapter 4 I wrote that Kate found the pictures of the night she and Gibbs spent together in the hotel when she returned from the meeting with Ari. I am now changing it so the pictures were given to her at the meeting. Apologies for the discrepancy.

* * *

The car Kate was being driven in pulled up at a house in the outskirts of London. There had been no conversation for the entire journey; the silence truly was deafening as Kate was left alone with the thoughts of her impending doom, mulling over worse case scenarios. Anxious as she was about attending a meeting with a wanted terrorist without a gun or back up, she was happy that the car journey was less physical than her previous experience at the hands of Ari's men. Kate didn't relish having to explain to her friends why she had a battered face when she was supposed to be out at dinner.

When the car stopped outside the front door, another of Ari's men stepped out of the shadows and opened the passenger side door for her. When Kate exited the car she took a moment to survey the scenery, the sprawling landscape and pretty countryside. How, she wondered, could such beauty survive when pure evil was living amongst it?

Kate followed the car's other backseat passenger into the house, taking in the splendour and opulence of the decor. Her guide led her to a closed door which was being guarded by an armed man, after the two men exchanged a few words in a language Kate did not understand, her guide told her to go inside as she was expected. The guard opened the door and Kate walked into what she found to be a dining room, she turned round in time to see the guard closing the door behind her.

"_Caitlin, how nice it is to see you again, you look simply breath-taking. Please have a seat and we can begin dinner."_ Ari walked to a chair at the table and pulled it out indicating that it was to be Kate's place for the meal.

Kate glancing at the proffered chair and then at Ari, firmly stated _"I'm not here for dinner. I've been ORDERED to attend this meeting by the Director of NCIS and report back. What do you want?"_

"_Dinner first Caitlin, I've been busy since I met with you this morning. Dinner with some light conversation, then business."_ Ari guided Kate by the arm to the chair, before walking to the opposite chair and taking a seat.

"_Mr Haswari, what is the purpose of this meeting, why have you contacted me?"_Kate was determined to keep this meeting on a professional basis, keeping focussed on the job was her main priority.

"_Special Agent Todd there is no need to be so formal, I know we have gone beyond titles. Please join me for a meal and afterwards we will talk; until then we are simply Ari and Caitlin."_

Throughout the meal, Ari spoke to Kate about his childhood, time at medical school and the countries he had visited. He attempted to engage Kate in conversation about her life but was met with stunted answers of glares.

After the dessert plates had been cleared, Ari indicated that it was time to move their meeting to the library where a tray containing a pot of tea and cups was waiting.

Kate allowed Ari to pour her a cup of tea before settling on an armchair, waiting to hear why she had been summoned. Ari sat at the end of the sofa closest to Kate, crossed his legs and balanced the cup and saucer on his knees. Focusing his gaze on her, Ari began his story.

"_Caitlin, for some time now I have felt the CIA have not been allowing me to stretch my more creative talents. The work has become mundane and a little less melodramatic than what I would prefer. I am a man of action, preferring to infiltrate cells not write intelligence reports and trawl through the gutters for snippets of information."_

"_A terrorist wanting more action, imagine the odds. Ari you should be imprisoned for what I know you have done, tortured for the crimes I don't know about and facing the death sentence for the acts that I know you are capable of. You profess you're not a terrorist, but nothing of your past actions can be deemed to anything other than the act of such a person. By definition terrorism involves the use of and threat of violence – how do you NOT meet this criteria? Gerald? Gibbs? Marta? These are people you shot without hesitation or second thought."_

"_Caitlin please, I did not invite you here this evening to debate my previous indiscretions. I want to discuss the advantages that a working relationship between myself and NCIS/FBI can have to all those involved. I further wanted to work out the role you would play in this new partnership."_

"_Partnership? Ari in what possible scenario do you imagine that I would act as your...your go-between in this warped relationship you have envisaged?"_ Kate had set her cup and saucer back on the tray and walked to the door of the library intending to leave the house and return to her friends.

"_Caitlin I would advise that you return to armchair, you cannot surely be intending to walk back to London? An agent of your calibre will not have failed to note the lack of houses and businesses in the surrounding area, I will have you driven back to the hotel but not before we finish our discussion." _Ari reached forward and refilled Kate's cup, handing it to her as she walked to resume her seat.

"_As you have attended this meeting without protection from the United States military, I am assuming that Special Agent Gibbs is not aware of this meeting? If so, I would ask that you keep it this way. I have considerable resources at my disposal; resources I do not wish to tie-up entertaining Gibbs and his petulant need to prove his own superiority. The arrangement I am proposing will involve the input from a limited number of people; yourself and a limited number of pre-approved agents from the FBI and NCIS. This will not include Special Agent Gibbs, that is one of my pre-conditions."_

"_This is unbelievable, this is truly unbelievable. In what universe do you think that I would not tell Gibbs about this meeting? Huh? Gibbs in incommunicado at the moment but rest assured that as soon as the communication ban is lifted the Director will inform him of what is happening, then the proverbial will hit the fan." _Kate was exasperated beyond belief, why did Ari keep coming after her? Hadn't she had enough stress in her life, just when she had decided enough was enough and take a stand, she was again beaten down.

"_I believe that should Director Sheppard be thinking about this situation critically, she will not have told Agent Gibbs about our contact until she has had a report from you about this meeting, even if the communications ban has been lifted. She will want to plan a course of action, being a practical agent she will want to use this working partnership to its fullest advantage and if that means lying to Gibbs she undoubtedly will."_

"_The Director would never put the conditions of a terrorist before...wait, how did you know the Director is a woman and her name? I never mentioned either, she's only started; how do you know how she will act?"_ Kate was suddenly obsessed with knowing how Ari knew the new Director or any other details.

"_Director Sheppard is not my concern at the present, I want your assurances you will not involved Gibbs in this arrangement; to ensure success and mutual benefit, he cannot be informed."_ Ari held Kate's gaze, reinforcing his words through the eyes Kate once believed to be honest.

"_Ari I have to tell Gibbs, how do you think I can keep this from him? From the rest of my team? How NCIS deals with your proposal is not my concern; but I can't lie to them especially about you, you've caused so much damage and pain they'd know I was lying. I can't lie to them, I can't lie to him."_

"_By him you mean Special Agent Gibbs? Why Caitlin, why can't you lie to him of all people, what makes him different? As I mentioned previously, I have considerable resources at my disposal. Having anticipated this response to my proposal, I have come up with a counter-plan to ensure your cooperation. I do hate to do this Caitlin, but you are integral to the success of this operation."_

"_Why me Ari? Why not go straight to the Director or even the FBI? Why involve me?"_

"_I trust you Caitlin, I know that you value honesty and integrity above everything else."_

"_Yet you propose I lie to the people I'm closest to, people who suffered so much because of you."_

"_Caitlin I didn't want to do this, but I have no choice." _Ari walked to the mantelpiece in the library and lifted a large brown document folder and a smaller envelope from behind an ornament, bringing it back to the seating area he handed the folder to Kate before returning to the sofa.

Kate opened the folder and gasped at the pictures contained, rapidly going through them she saw the faces of the very people she was trying to protect staring back at her. Her team mates, family and friends were all pictured at various locations over what Kate guessed to be a one month period. A breakdown of daily schedules for each person were inserted in the back of the folder.

"_I can protect them, one phone call and they all disappear until the threat is eliminated. They'll willingly go because I ask them, they trust me – that's what a family does. One phone call and your threats are empty and meaningless."_Kate focussed on the pictures of her eldest brother's family, her brother and his wife walking through a play park each with one of their children on their shoulders, laughing and enjoying the sunshine.

"_Can you protect them all Caitlin? Are you sure these are the only people I have been having followed? So many people, I could strike at any time? Are you sure they would go willingly? People have busy lives, would they seriously be willing to live in a seedy motel until the threat is contained?"_

"_They would do it, I know they would"_

"_You're faith in humanity is commendable Caitlin, but have you noticed that there is one person missing from these pictures? Someone who confronts problems head on, without forethought to the consequences to himself."_

"_Gibbs?"_

"_Yes Gibbs. I had pictures of him in his coffee shop, in his car, at a bar. So many pictures that I was prepared to use, until something happened. Caitlin, you were also under surveillance. Your home has been rigged with small cameras, my men are willing to take that extra step to please me. Whilst I had not anticipated such an intrusion to your privacy, I admit that it did present a situation I am willing to exploit."_

Ari reached forward and handed Kate an envelope containing pictures of the night she and Gibbs had spent together in her apartment. He did feel cheapened having to resort to blackmail of the lowest possible denominator, but to destroy Gibbs he needed Kate working for him. He did inwardly wince at the look of pure fury on her face when she realised what the pictures were of, but he needed her cooperation.

"_Would Gibbs quietly disappear for his own protection? Or is it more likely that he would stay and fight, deliberately making himself a target to draw me out? Gibbs is impulsive, I on the other hand am reserved; preferring to think through situation. Are you prepared to watch him die? I promise you it would be slow, torturous and painful; to save him your only alternative is to work with me."_

Kate sat rigidly in her seat, staring at the pictures before her; her family and friends getting on with their lives. She knew that if asked, everyone but Gibbs would do what she asked; Tony might put up a fight, but would ultimately do what she asked. Gibbs would see it through to the end, which would likely result in his death; an option Kate was not even willing to entertain. Enough people had died because of her and her inactions; nobody else, no more death this year.

"_Why him Caitlin, out of all the men in the world who would throw themselves at your mercy – why give yourself to Gibbs?"_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** Iris is written for personal motivation. No infringement on characters of situations is intentional.

* * *

3 months later, Kate found herself in her boss's living room confessing her deepest, most painful secrets.

Throughout her description of the first meeting with Ari, Gibbs had remained motionless, saying nothing, focussing on the words leaving her mouth. A million and one questions swirling around his brain, yet there a new understanding developing. Gibbs wasn't as heartless as he would portray, his view of the world wasn't as black and white as he would have his team and suspects believe. Gibbs now had a greater appreciation of the pressures Kate had been under, the rationale for her actions was now becoming clearer. Gibbs now found himself in the unusual predicament of not being able to fault Kate for her collusion with Ari; the fault lay with Jenny Sheppard. Ari had been right; the Director had reviewed the situation and concluded that more was to be gained by working with Ari. When the budget was being decided, NCIS would be in a stronger position to demand a bigger share of the pot. Working with the FBI would be a mere formality, Fornell had prior experience in working with Ari and would be humoured until such time as NCIS could work solo.

Gibbs glanced down to the photographs lying on the coffee table between them; Ari had used him against Kate. Ari was manipulative, malicious and had sunk to a new low in the game he and Gibbs had started in the morgue. Gibbs had always wondered how the situation between himself and Ari would culminate; there were times in the dead of night his sleep deprived mind conjured images ranging from having Ari locked up in solitary confinement, where only the screams of his victims kept him company to the larger, more grandiose imagery of guns and explosions. Now a single bullet through Ari's brain was the only tangible image that Gibbs could keep focussed on.

Kate continued to describe how the relationship between Ari, herself, the FBI and NCIS developed. Ari had stipulated that all contact between him and the agencies was to be facilitated by her. The information that Gibbs had acted on, believing it had come from the hard work of his agent, informants and intelligence reports, had originated from Ari. While it was fact that a number of potential terrorists had been caught and lives had been saved, there remained the unanswered question of how much it would cost? So far Ari hadn't asked for much in return for the information he had passed on. There was one instance in which he had left behind fingerprints at a crime scene and it was up to Kate, with the approval of the Director, to dispose of evidence. The amount of physical evidence collected at the crime scene had left Abby distraught and massively overworked. Kate, having been contacted by Ari that he had not cleaned his fingerprints from the scene and needed the situation 'fixed' immediately, informed Director Sheppard. Kate had been compromised enough by working with Ari; she could not willingly tamper with the physical evidence of an ongoing investigation. Yet, the Director agreed with Ari and ordered Kate to rectify the situation. Reluctantly Kate went to the lab and convinced Abby to let her help; suggesting that running the fingerprints lifted was a tedious and monotonous job that took up a lot of her time. By allowing Kate to run the fingerprints, Abby could focus on the remaining evidence perhaps cracking the case so the team could have their first weekend off in four weeks. The appeal of two days off in a row was too much of a lure to Abby to pass up, she agreed; Kate ran the fingerprints and removed all evidence of Ari having been at the scene.

Kate described the meetings that occurred between herself and Ari, taking place in some of the more upscale restaurants in Washington D.C... They never met in the same location twice; Ari always chose the location, time and date; having informed Kate through telephone conversations. Kate, despite the heinous nature of the work and topics of discussion, had been impressed by the places she had the opportunity to visit.

Everything that had been happening had occurred without the knowledge of Gibbs or the remainder of the team; until tonight, when Gibbs found out. Kate had meet with Ari earlier in the evening at an upscale restaurant when the price of the working relationship was to become apparent. Ari had pushed a folder in front of Hate and told her of a terrorist cell that had made contact with him to purchase weapons and explosives with the aim of blowing up an unidentified naval base. This was a relatively new cell, one which was previously unknown to Ari and he stated he needed help – he needed Kate's help. Ari couldn't be sure this wasn't a test of his fidelity to his own organisation; apparently a number of circumstances had transpired to make Ari cautious about undertaking work with the cell. He wanted someone he could trust working with him, he wanted Kate as his partner. The list of expletives flowing from Kate's mouth was enough to make him blush and squirm uncomfortably in his chair waiting for her tirade to finish.

Kate grabbed the folder and stormed out of the restaurant, driving straight to NCIS Headquarters. When her intermediary role had begun, Kate and Director Sheppard agreed to debrief in NCIS Headquarters when the meetings had ended. Having parked her car and cleared security, Kate made her way to the elevators punching the right floor button; she paced back and forth in the elevator dragging her hand through her hair, muttering under her breath. When the elevator reopened, Kate walked out and straight to the stairs leading to the office of Director Sheppard; in her unsettled frame of mind, Kate failed to notice that Gibbs was sitting at his desk reviewing a case folder. He had met with Fornell earlier in the day for an update on the unofficial investigation he was running into the whereabouts of that damned terrorist. Surprisingly Fornell passed on a bulky case file about Ari, his location and what he had been up to; further to this, Fornell credited one of his agents for the information – Kate.

Gibbs, intrigued by Kate's late night appearance in headquarters, followed her up the stairs and stood outside in the secretary's office. Kate had slammed the Director's office door so hard it had bounced off the door frame and reopened; Gibbs heard everything. Kate was shouting about Ari and it was at that point that Gibbs saw red, what Fornell had said earlier made sense; it was Kate providing the information. He stormed into the office demanding an explanation.

Kate sat forlornly on a chair whilst the Director gave a succinct rundown of the situation so far; to say Gibbs was mad would be an understatement. When he began his tirade, the Director ordered Kate to leave the office and remain in the building, until such time as she could finish her briefing. Kate sat in the secretary's office for 10 minutes of the shouting between Gibbs and the Director, before finally having had enough. Kate left the building, driving round the town before pulling up at a car park; she exited her car and locked the door. She walked into the adjacent bar and placed her first drinks order of the night. It was in this bar, 2 hours later that Gibbs found Kate and took her home with him.

Kate felt that some of the weight she had been carrying on her shoulders had been lifted; the old adage: a problem shared is a problem halved, was running through her mind. But she didn't believe it, so much still had to be done. Ari was still in their lives and was now threatening Gibbs to manipulate her cooperation in his latest scheme.


End file.
